Memorial for the Late Cardinal
By Kim Ji-soo
Culture Editor
Korea is a society of strong people. One can say it's a society that champions victors, charismatic figures and those with loud voices. In this ultra-competitive society, where the race to the top is always turbo-charged, the limelight is reserved for the winners. Rarely is it shone on the losers.
And it's the voice of the strong that's usually aired. There is a Korean joke that in any dispute the person with the loudest voice will always win, a common belief in this society where a nail that sticks out still tends to get hammered down.
Maybe it's because the can-do spirit takes over, or that there are limited resources in a small country that emphasizes the strong. Whatever the reason, in this society, it takes courage to confess to be humble, to lay one's weakness bare and from there learn to embrace others.
Koreans saw such a figure in the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, who passed away last year on Feb. 16.
He left this world saying, ``Thank you. Love each other.'' When I heard that one of the last phrases he uttered was ``Thank you,'' I felt humbled.
Who was he thanking? What was he thanking? Shouldn't we thank him? I wondered. After all, he was the nation's first cardinal, a protector of virtue and a facilitator in the nation's democracy movement.
When the movement reached its boiling point in June 1987, he told the riot police to first step over him if they wanted to apprehend the college students seeking protection inside the Myeongdong Cathedral. But then again, the late cardinal was a man who boldly professed that he was a ``babo" (a fool), a man whose visage was all smiles and comforting. He did not even mind wearing a flower behind his ear from time to time, even in the days when women thought it was silly for a man to do so.
I was not the only one touched. Regardless of one's religion, the nation mourned for the cardinal. People lined up around Myeongdong Cathedral to catch a last glimpse of him. When he passed way, he donated his corneas--he had signed up in 1990 to donate his organs--saving the lives of two people in the nation.
People followed his lead. According to the Korean Network for Organ Sharing, about 185,000 registered to donate their organs in 2009, which is more than a twofold increase from those registered in 2008 (74,841).
Sister Lee Hae-in, a respected figure and essayist, recently wrote in an article for a vernacular that she was reaping the fruits of the ``(late) Cardinal effect," akin to the ``Mother Teresa effect." She said that whenever she needs help, she calls out his name and is filled with a good feeling that help is on its way. Following his example, in 2005 she signed up to become a heart donor.
A year has since passed his death, and various events are planned for the one-year memorial including a mass on Tuesday at Myeongdong Cathedral. It may well be a good time for us to thank the late Cardinal for the opportunity to reflect on what he meant by saying ``Thank you," and ``Love each other."